What happened on your birthday in ww2?? 28 March: Cunningham leads fateful British strike at Italians Andrew Browne Cunningham, Admiral of the British Fleet, commands the British Royal Navy's destruction of three major Italian cruisers and two destroyers in the Battle of Cape Matapan in the Mediterranean. The destruction, following on the attack on the Italian Fleet at Taranto by the British in November 1940, effectively put an end to any threat the Italian navy posed to the British. Admiral Cunningham was one of Britain's most distinguished naval officers, having served as Gen. Dwight Eisenhower's naval deputy. As Commander in Chief Mediterranean, he had a clear-cut goal: to disable the Italian navy. When the war began, Britain's ships were generally older than Italy's. By the fall of 1940, with the surrender of the French to the Germans the previous June, Britain was alone and shaky in the Mediterranean. Admiral Cunningham knew he had to confront the Italian navy soon and considered an offensive while the Italian Fleet was still in harbor the most prudent strategy. On November 11, 1940, the British aircraft carrier Illustrious was 170 miles southeast of the Italian navy port at Taranto in southern Italy. Twenty-one Swordfish aircraft took off from the Illustrious and launched a raid against the Italian Fleet. The Italians lost three battleships, sending a shockwave through the Italian navy. The next major engagement between the Royal and Italian fleets was at Cape Matapan, off Greece's southern tip. On March 25, 1941, British air reconnaissance picked up increased Italian naval activity off Greece and Crete, and further intelligence confirmed an Italian plan to attack a British convoy in the area. Two days later, Admiral Cunningham put his battle fleet to sea to meet up with Vice-Admiral Pridham-Wippell's cruiser force. The element of surprise was crucial, given that the Italian fleet was larger, faster, better armed, and more modern. The Italian battleship Vittorio Veneto spotted Pridham-Wippell's cruisers and opened fire. The Italians missed and the Brits got away; the RAF followed up with an air attack, but this time it was the Vittorio Veneto that got away. But, on March 28, the British battleship Warspite proved a better shot, firing five 15-inch shells at the Italian cruiser Fiume, crippling it. Another Italian cruiser, the Zara, was hit broadside by the Brits' Valiant and Barham and suffered a similar fate. The Pola was also struck by an 18-inch torpedo; it caught fire and lay dead in the water. Once the crew was taken off, torpedoes sank it. On top of these crushing losses, two escorting destroyers, the Alfieri and the Carducci, were also sunk by the Royal Navy. In total, the Italians lost 2,303 men from the five ships. The long-term effect on the Italian navy was to effectively render it impotent. and... Exactly one year later, on March 28, 1942, a British sub near Antipaxo sunk the Italian ocean liner Galilea, which was being used to transport troops from North Africa back to Italy. The loss of the liner entailed the loss of 768 Italian soldiers and crewmen. in ww1: the first american civilian of ww1 was killed
Will my 21st Birthday meet the bill? On the l6th of August l944 I celebrated my 2lst birthday by having a drink with an American seaman in a bar in Cairo. I had just dropped the C.O. off in the city and was killing time before picking him up for the trip back to camp at Ishmalia. By one of those remarkable coincidences that used to occur in wartime, the seaman at the bar, a John Merry of 383O North Carmac St Philadelphia, U.S.A., happened to be a crew member of a Liberty ship called the SS Homer Lee. When at the end of our stay in Egypt we boarded ship for our return to Italy the ship turned out to be, yes, you have guessed it, the afore-mentioned Homer Lee and as a result I had the pleasure of access to the crews' quarters and some smashing food. By September we were on our way back to Italy. You can see the full story here: BBC - WW2 People's War - The 78th Div Goes to Egypt to Re-Train and Re-Form
My 21st birthday was spent on leave in Rome and as some friends and I were having lunch at an open air cafe in the Parthenon Piazza ,I noticed that the waiter was crying - so I asked him what the problem was - he only pointed to the other side of the Piazza and said - Maestro Pietro Mascagni - whose funeral cortage was just about to take him off for burial. It was significant for me as he was my Mother's favourite Opera composer who had written the beautiful 'Cavaleria Rusticana' which was the first opera I managed to see just after I had landed in Naples and had made my way to the San Carlo Opera House. As I waited inpatiently all through the first act in order to hear the magnificient ' Intermezzo' I was shocked that the audience were running up and down greeting each other like long lost brothers - it then dawned on me that this was exactly why Mascagni had written the Intermezzo was to try to keep them in their seats - he failed miserably ! My Mother was broken hearted when I wrote to tell her that he was dead ! It put a crimp into my celebrations as well ! Cheers
On mine (12/8/44 ) a Sunderland (NJ175) from 422 RCAF crashed shortly after take off. They lost an engine dur to reduction gear failure and being fully loaded the other three engines could not keep her aloft. Ordered to head out over Donegal bay to ditch their charges the aircraft attempted to do so but it beacme apparrent that they woul;d nnever make it. The crew tried to dicth charges over bogland but when the racks went out this acted like an airbrake and although they did manage to shed weight they critical lost air speed - the aircraft already hanging on just above stalling speeed , fuel dumping was ineffective and the pilots managed to put her down on bogland NE of Belleek just inside the Irish republic, the aircraft broke up on landing and the wreck burst into flames . Local people rushed to the scene and attempted to help the crew from the wreckage. Three members of the crew died and the rest were all injured most seriously. The survivors were taken to a small hospital in Ballyshannon and after several days were allowed to return to the care of the RAF in "the North". The dead were handed over at Belleek with full military honours the escort party from Finner camp taking the bodies into the main Street in Belleek for their return to the RAF. Over the bext few days the RAF was allowed into "The South" to clear the engines , guns and major parts of the wreckage from the site - the Irish Army having blown up the ditched charges. Five years ago a memorial stone was dedicated to remember the crash survivor of that day Mr Chuck Singer attending. The site has been visited by the Squadron Asscoiation in more recent years. Standing. F/E Sgt Jeal , A/G Sgt. Colburne , A/G Sgt Singer , F/E. P/O. R C Parker. Seated. W.Op /AG Sgt J Forrest , Nav. F/O Allen , CApt. F/Lt. Devine , 2nd pilot Platsko , W.Op /AG Hawkins. A photo of the crew ( Devine's) the track which leads to the crash site , probably made to help get the wreckage out , the stone which marks the final landing place of NJ175. The higground which marks the south shore of the lough is just to the right out of picture - as the crow flies about 4 miles away no more.
I spent my 21st in a Police cell I wasn't born during WW2 but google shows 1940 - Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Finnish troops and the remaining population is immediately evacuated.
I spent my 21st in a Police cell I spent mine in hospital. Quoted from Peter Clare's day by day thread, " April 17, 1941 The Yugoslav army surrenders On this day in 1941, the Yugoslav army, encircled in Bosnia, surrenders to Germany and signs a formal capitulation in Belgrade. By the time the Yugoslav government surrendered, 6,000 Yugoslav officers and 335,000 men had been taken prisoner, overwhelmed by the sheer force of Axis numbers."
This is 3IG's War Diary entry on my father's 20th birthday in 1944: This day was spent in resting, re-fitting and bathing, although the enemy were still less than one mile away. The Bn still consists of only three rifle Coys, but a Fd Sqn RE is under command in the role of reserve Coy. Patrols during the night kept contact with flanking units and information was received that the nearest enemy locality - ESTRY was now clear. It fell 3 days after one of the worst actions in which 3IG took part, Sourdeval, with 75 men wounded and 36 killed out of 2 Companies. One of the men who was killed, Eric Price, was in his training squad. He was 19. Dad remembers hearing Eric's name being read out at a memorial service and he and his mate Jimmy from the same squad, being 'knocked for six'. He doesn't remember his birthday at all. QS Guardsman ERIC WILLIAM PRICE 2723906, 3rd Bn., Irish Guards who died age 19 on 11 August 1944 Son of Alec Edwin and Violet Price, of Nelson, Lancashire. Remembered with honour ST. CHARLES DE PERCY WAR CEMETERY Eric in Oct 1943: http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll119/dbf_bucket/IG%20PHOTOS/ERICPRICEOCT19431200dpi.jpg
The day of my birth, 27 December 1941..... Operation Archery, the raid on Vaagso and Maaloy, broke new ground with the provision of air cover as an integral part of the raid in the initial planning process. The planners had learned from the 2nd Lofoten raid that the lack of air cover could put similar missions in jeopardy. COMBINEDOPS Vaagso
On the 17th April 1945, the Army Medical Corps were called in to Bergen-Belsen Concentration camp. Enough said. Regards Tom
23 December 1942 – Tunisia - Torrential rains begin, and hold up operations for three days. A regiment of the US 1st Division which has replaced the Coldstream Guards on the Djebel el Ahmera, has to withdraw when counter-attacked by the Germans. Algiers - Americans inform General d’Astier that Admiral Darlan has decided resign and leave North Africa and they have consented. Cheers Paul
Recce Mitch - and weren't the Coldstreams miffed as they had to go back up and get the hill back ! Then when the mists cleared there was two summits to Longstop Hill - which wasn't ours until the spring of '43 by 78th Div and Gerry Chester's mob ! Cheers
31st December? Whilst I wasn't actually born during 'The War', I'd imagine most poor souls, back then, were hoping and praying for a better year to come. Or, if I have Google anywhere near half right? Finishing up the Battle of the Bulge, eg? Sod that. I just tend to sit here with my Dogs. Being thankful there's no fireworks or ships horns to bother us. Don't know I'm born, do I?
Like the Queen I have two birthdays one I used to join the army with the other my official one which I celebrated with the other good folk on this forum on the 15th of October just recently when I drank a dram or two of Glenfiddich in celebration of my 84<SUP>th</SUP> birthday. In 1944 being only two months short of Christmas when I was twenty years of age I think we were in the mountains in Italy and the weather was atrocious the line was static and everyone was waiting for the weather to improve so that the spring offensive would hopefully take us to the last drive up the Po valley; but that particular Christmas was one I will never forget our cook being ACC trained was a great guy but an hopeless cook he had been given some tinned turkey whether it was officially obtained or purloined from the yanks I have no idea but he put the contents of the tins into an enormous pot and boiled them. So we lined up on Christmas day with our mess tins to get what turned out to be a tin full off every size bone you could think off and a load of mush so we all sat around just looking at it till our platoon Officer asked what was the matter on seeing for himself he told the cook the lads can’t eat that muck what else can you rustle up on the quick needless to say it turned out to be good old bully beef. It must be said when we got our Christmas dinner with the rest of the Battalion in February they certainly did us proud <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o:p></o:p> Regards niccar
